Mahrid
by Chikachoo
Summary: "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden itself." Lucy was about to find out this rang true when her true identity started to reveal itself. NaLu. Urban Fantasy AU.


**A/N:** I'm so sorry this is very late for the mythical creature's event. Anyway, nalunerd13 Surprise! I'm your partner. I hope you find this worth the wait. I don't know what this turned out being but here it is anyway haha

Let me know if you guys like this world and I'll actually try my luck at a multi-chapter (plus, I love to talk you all 😉). Also if anyone knows Arabic or a lot about Arabian mythology please get in touch with as I'd love to talk to you :D

The quote in the summary is Oscar Wilde ;) I made a mood board for this as well which you can see if you check out my Tumblr which is: chikach00

-x-

 **Songspiration:**

You're… Immortal? - Marcin Przybyłowicz

A gifted man brings galore - Marcin Przybyłowicz

-x-

 _She felt nothing._

 _Darkness surrounded her, flickers of white formless hands clawed at her sub-conscious, coaxing her forward. To call her current state an abyss would be inaccurate, it was more a vacuum. The white ethereal energy sunk heavily into her skin, as it did so, her blindness seemed to lift. Heavy eyelids lifting, swirling with what seemed like grey mist crawled along rugged, thirsty land._

 _Bitter cold nipped at her nerves. Bone deep exhaustion tumbled into her spaced out mind, her fingers dug, trying to find a perch on the barren terrain. Questions of why it was so cold in the desert briefly crossing her mind. From her paralysed state on the ground, she notices large fissures forming in the sky, their colour a blinding white. Grey fog started to whirl becoming the deep black of burning material._

 _Perspiration dotted her skin, sub-zero temperatures morphing into unforgiving heat._

 _Trying to breathe, she felt her diaphragm spasm as she attempted to inhale. The air was thick with smoke, her lungs burned as tar polluted the air. Coating her airways, coughing and breath sounding a staccato as she struggled for her breath. Needles prickling under her skin as she started to suffocate. Blind and unable to breathe Lucy tried to yell, why wasn't anyone helping her?_

 _Pricking turned to a stabbing pain, gasping she felt her body numb. Fear filling her as her body was dragged across the floor. Groaning, Lucy felt her muscle spasm as her wrists and ankles felt like they were being crushed into the ground._

 _The pressure in her lungs released and she spluttered as the air filled her lungs. Strange. Thick liquid coated her chest, dripping down her sides. Confusion consumed her, why were her senses no longer being attacked? Dropping her head to the side, still, she could see nothing but swirling smoke._

 _Cracked, barren earth offered no comfort as she shifted, sharp gravel digging into her back. Bringing an elbow up to support her body weight, core muscles still sore from earlier spasms, she looked down. It felt as if corrosive acid was eating at her skin, the burning unbearable._

 _Her chest cavity was gaping, congealed blood-forming thick globules around the wound situated above her heart. Ripping her hands from the ground she clutched the saturated fabric, a scream forming in her throat. A piercing noise rattled her ears, relentless and loud. She feared her eardrum would rupture. Hands stained crimson clutched over her lobes in a desperate attempt to stop the damage._

 _Then she felt translucent hands once again pull at her psyche, this time ripping her from her surroundings._

"Lucy!"

Her eyelids felt like lead as she tried to respond to the call. This wasn't the first time she had been pulled into vivid daydreams. If you could call it that, the event felt real, every pain, every emotion was hers. Coming to her body always felt clammy, as if the stifling heat had evolved into a fever. Lucy scrunched her face as she felt a damp cloth blot underneath her ear.

"Lucy?" Recognising the chirpy tone of her best friend, she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision distorted and blurred as her pupils adjusted to the light.

"Thank the heavens you're okay," Making out blue hair and Levy's signature yellow ribbon. Lucy welcomed the additional weight, arms enveloping her in a hug.

"I don't know about okay." She wasn't. Lucy tucked a blond tress behind her ear, cringing when feeling the sweat clinging to her forehead. Sitting up Lucy felt the cushions of Levi's lush sofa cave under her weight. Truly the thing was too comfortable and undoubtedly the reason she had fallen asleep during their meditation session.

"What happened to you?" Levy asked, plopping down at her side and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know. It's happened before." Flashbacks of falling from her bed, or getting injuries from her dreams frightened her. Especially how her ears rang, as they are now, from the cry that tore her from the world.

"What? And you didn't say anything before we started?"

"It's only occurred at night before. I thought they were dreams." Lucy shrugged, nightmares were normal. She wasn't the type to make others worry about something trivial.

"Your eyes were open Lucy. Your sclera morphed, I could see outlines." That didn't sound good. In fact, the thought was starting to creep her out.

"Outlines?" She asked.

"Yes." Levy nodded, clapping her hands together standing abruptly, "Which reminded me of something I read a while back."

Scuttling into her bedroom, Levi returned minutes later with a tome that Lucy suspected would kill someone if you dropped it on their head. If the impact didn't kill them then the centuries worth of dirt caked onto the cover would.

"That looks like it's about to turn into dust," Lucy said, observing the state of said object. The tatty state of the leather binding the pages belied the golden plated spine.

 _E.N.D_ the letters were barely discernible, age eroding at the ink.

"That would be because it's old as dirt," Levy quipped, holding the book proudly, "I borrowed it from the Asmodeus Library at the college."

"Borrowed?" Lucy's mouth dropped open, " Levy, you're not allowed to take books out of there."

Honestly, her best friend never failed to surprise her with boundless temerity.

"As I said, a short loan they may not know about currently." Her best friend shrugged, "I've had it for 3 months so they obviously don't miss it." She dropped the tome onto the solid oak coffee table in front of them. The resulting dust cloud causing them both to cough.

"Three months!" Lucy didn't want to think about the overdue fines that would have incurred if the book was loaned out officially.

"Which isn't important Lu-chan." Levy wagged her finger in the familiar way Lucy had come to associate as her _'this is serious'_ gesture. "What _is_ important is the name of the library."

"Levy, I don't know what you're talking about."

"The library is named after the first Djinn to rule over the modern world," Levy said, flicking the cover over revealed mottled pages, time staining the paper a sepia tone.

"And why would I care about Djinn?" Lucy asked, wondering the reason for the random mention, she sat forward to listen, "Djinn haven't been documented for thousands of years, even the scribes believe they are beings of pure myth."

"Since when has magic been about what we can and can't see? Besides those old crusties are set in their ways." Levy's scolding look said all Lucy needed to know, she should shut up and listen. History was her friend's forte, especially magical history. The girl's apartment was filled with weird and wonderful artefacts and a collection tacky merlin fridge magnets. Lucy didn't share her opinion on those for fear of her friends resulting conniption.

"Hey! I want to be a scribe." Lucy argues the fact they are _all_ old crusties. Because she certainly wasn't.

"Lu-chan you are so much more than that. Which is the point I am getting to if you would stop interrupting me." Shushing her once again Levy opened the book to a certain page, with an accuracy that hinted this book was her latest project. If there were secrets to be found, Levy was on a mission to reveal them.

"Anyway, I did some research into this Asmodeus and he was the first djinn to break free from _Alhalqa_ which translates directly to 'the ring'." Picking up a pair of glasses from the side, Lucy recognised them as seeing glasses. They were useful for reading quickly and translating all languages to the user's mother tongue.

"I still don't see why this is relevant to me."

" _Alhalqa_ are rings made of blessed copper and iron, made to enslave the Djinn or as we know it a genie." Levy continued, explaining melted metals are manmade, their properties are forcefully changed. The metals deviated from nature and therefore have an adverse effect on beings that are intrinsically tied to the earth and magic.

Djinn were powerful beings and their magic reduced significantly in its presence, direct contact with their skin makes magic use potentially lethal i.e they can no longer use it limitlessly. Making them easier to control, but by no means helpless.

The sorcerers of old used to capture them as a living magic source. One that didn't require recharging and could cast catastrophic magic they would be unable to cast otherwise.

"To stop the ruthless greed for power of humans, Asmodeus cast a spell that sacrificed his body. His body became a gate, his blood the key and placed a curse on the earth that prevented humans having access to Eden." Eden, the dimension of paradise, a place of endless magic and unimaginable beauty. Lucy had heard many pipe dreams of discovery in the literature. She wasn't as enthused to come across it, as life had taught her; if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.

What was the price of existing in such a place?

"I still don't know why this is relevant to me Levy?" Lucy asked, brain swirling with the information.

"This book is called the book of E.N.D and it is written in the ancient tongue or as some like to call it the language of angels."

"E.N.D? Sounds like your typical Indiana Jones artefact."

"To be honest that's not far off. Even some of the most talented tribes across the colleges' history have been unable to crack the code in this book" Face lighting up, Levy placed the book in Lucy's lap pointing to the foreign symbols that seemed to meld together, the harder she looked the blurrier it became.

"Code?" She asked.

"Yes. Knowing the ancient language isn't enough with this baby." That didn't matter to Levy, she had a talent for runes and hieroglyphs. "I managed to find out the Djinn live like the humans but they thrive in the alternate dimension and only crossed over to feed. They fed off our spirit but in return the kept the managed the cycles. I haven't managed to discover exactly what these cycles are."

"Levy." Lucy prompted her with her name, beginning to get interested.

"Okay, Okay. I just wanted to let you know if this wasn't my latest project. You wouldn't have a clue about what's been happening to you."

"Fine. I see your point."

"Good." Levi stated, diving straight back into her flow, "Another thing I found out is the djinn have a hierarchal society. The more power, the higher your status and the power is known from birth. All djinn are born in _Alnnar Alhariqa_ which translates to 'the scorching fire'. It burns with the djinns _sihr_ , their colour. Lucy your eyes went white but blue runes glowed on your skin whilst you were 'dreaming'." She tapped underneath her eye indicating the entire socket, "It was faint but it was there."

"Runes are branded by _Alnnar Alhariqa,"_ Levy sighed, lips pursing in frustration, "I can feel the magic pulsing within the book when I try to decipher as if the book is alive and choosing what it wants me to know."

"So, you're saying I might be a genie…" Lucy said the words slowly hoping it would make sense voicing them aloud.

"Basically. You've always been a gifted witch Lu-chan"

"That was down to hard work and studying, not because I'm this thing."

"There's always been something too natural about how fast you learn magic when you cast spells; the ethernano dances with you, not against you." It was true during spell combat training classes she had to rein in her spells, where others struggled to gather enough. Powerful spells had a rebound that wasn't pleasant, yet her instinct was to push, let the magic consume her, to yield.

Another reason was the magical community wasn't as accepting of abnormality as many would assume. Lucy didn't want to become a scholar's lab rat, to be examined and caged for the rest of her life. The only people who knew were those who had proven themselves trustworthy. Levy proved that ten times over when her life went to shot.

"Isn't that normal?"

"No, it's not. Most witches must concentrate to stop spells overwhelming them. Not with you."

"What am I supposed to do now?" As she said it, Lucy remembered her father had never allowed her to travel outside the city after her sixteenth birthday. She remembered that day clearly. Jude had been distant. In fact, he had been outright cruel, proceeding to take away everything that made her solitary life bearable. Her mother's pond was filled in, the statue of the water bearer smashed to pieces.

Aquarius.

Childhood memories of dancing running around in the serene waters with her mother, crumbled along with cold marble. Confined to her room, left feeling barren and akin to a prison when her furniture was removed. All traces of her mother being removed and replaced at a rapid pace.

Something a lonely child would perceive as normal for controlling parent, now it seemed like panic.

Asking her father should be easy enough if it wasn't for the fact he died of a heart attack last year. Very mortal and very human until his last breath. She knew going home was the best chance of finding answers. Even if the place was full of memories she'd rather stay in recesses of her mind.

* * *

Nostalgia filled her as she looked at her old home, desolate of life. Remembering a time of servants and merchants going about their day, at her father's behest. The rattle of old carriages on cobbled paths and the clopping of hooves as they made their way from the port, filled with souvenirs collected from all corners of the earth.

She loved to sit on the sea wall, listening to the waves break beneath her feet, sea birds calling from their nests atop the dainty harbour roofs.

Seaside cottages painted a vibrant white were now a smudged grey from years of neglect. The villagers that used to live on their land had long since deserted the village. Despite his faults, her father was a brilliant business man, his ingenuity keeping the place alive and thriving. As for Lucy, too many painful memories surrounded her hometown to consider staying here. So, she left and with no one to run the company, people left to find work and prosperity elsewhere.

Trekking her way up the steep path to the mansion, in her mind's eye, she could see the tradesmen who called out in greeting. The young master's little miss Lucy, who would smile happily from her mother's side as they browsed the shops for new interesting things to fill their home. Her mother used to buy her a book every week from a second-hand bookshop at the seafront.

Books that told the story of long-forgotten events and tales of mystery and adventure. Stories she couldn't wait for her mother to read to her at bedtime and as she got older, to read herself. Their home sat at the top of the village, obvious in its grandeur above the humble sloping rooftops.

A home that became a place to sleep in after her mother's death.

Passing through the wrought iron gates wasn't an easy task. Lucy found herself arguing with the rusted lock, almost cutting her palm as she forced it open. The scrapping of iron against brickwork echoed into village behind her, it's empty ricochet sending a shiver of mourning through her body. Squeezing her body into the garden she looked upon the place that might hold the answers to where she came from. The fountain she had fondly remembered stood outside the entrance, the stone still beautiful, setting it apart from the unkempt grounds surrounding it.

Gravel crunched under her weight as she carefully avoided overgrown bushes. Branches that once belonged to the topiary her mother has painstakingly sculpted jutted out into the path. As she neared the fountain she noticed the smell of stagnant water, moss and dead leaves coating the surface. Thankfully the stone was holding firm, no cracks marring the structure, albeit she could see dirt that clung to its side courtesy of the sea air, escalating the erosion of stone without the proper maintenance. She didn't notice that it was no longer the mess she had left it in. The past forefront in her mind.

Finding a purchase on the wall, Lucy sat on its ledge, like she used to as a child, laying her legs out flat and resting her back against a pillar. Grime stopped bothering Lucy when her life had taken a sad turn, showing her there were more important things to worry about than dirty clothes. Clothes could be washed anew. Loved ones, however, could not be brought back. No matter how many times she prayed. Thoughts of sitting at her mother's bedside surfaced, of gripping her hand desperately as if the touch would keep her on this plain.

Ashen skin looking dull against her porcelain glow, sores and tears covered her body, her eyes sunken life no longer dancing in their depths as she stared at the ceiling. Layla Heartfilia had stopped acknowledging people a long time ago, her vegetative state exhibiting no movement or recognition, for her husband or her beloved daughter. The moment Layla became sick her father changed, withdrawing from the world. An almost resentful look on his face in the rare moments he visited.

Lucy read her stories, called her name, held her hand and sang their favourite songs. Nothing worked. One day as she lay curled into her mama's side, telling her about her tutoring session, she heard a gurgle. Excitement filled her. Jumping off the bed she fetched a glass of water, placing it to her lips waiting for her to respond. She never did. Later in life, she realised it wasn't a gargle but a death rattle.

Lucy never found out what killed her, none of the medicine books she had read described the symptoms exactly. And her father refused to talk about it, keeping the knowledge with him in death.

Dipping her fingertips into the water, ripples from her touch cleared a patch of moss and shrubbery, allowing her to see the mirrored tones of twilight.

Paying attention, she could see blood orange accompanied by daffodil yellow. The water was stagnant, it shouldn't be clear, but murky and diluted. Glancing over the rest of the water she noticed it had changed to a clear state, algae now a neon periwinkle blue creating intricate swirls. It was breath-taking, the blue lights were little stars at dusk.

She could lean in and feel like she was touching the milky way, a single moment of her imagination taking her to an abyss. Where she could reach and the stars would reach back. Looking down, blue tribal marks started forming on her skin glowing in tandem with the algae. Sharply inhaling Lucy traced the bevelled lines following her arm upwards. Her feet poking out from under her skirt had the same pattern. Her eyes glanced back at her from the water, an eerie glowing white.

Leaning closer she saw the raised flesh around her eye, taking the form of speckles in an intricate mosaic, reminding her of Venetian masks. Shimmering and rippling, Lucy watched in amazement as her reflection started moving. A hand that should have stayed on the ledge was placed against the surface. As if it were a barrier.

Jerking backwards, the action causing her to slip and fall. Closing her eyes, she waited for the impact of the hitting a shallow bottom. It never came. Opening her eyes, she found herself floating in an expanse of water, vast and seemingly infinite. Panicking she spun around, throwing her body upward, holding her breath.

Looking up she could see the wall, ignoring the cold settling into her bones and making her body ache she tried to propel herself upwards. Instead of grabbing onto the side, she hit a barrier. An invisible force was stopping her from breaking through, forcing her back with a blast of magical energy. Pain threaded through her nerves, accompanied by a pounding headache said she was in trouble.

Swimming forward, she tried to free herself from whatever enchantment has been placed on the fountain. It was futile. The second blast draining her remaining strength. Darkness swallowed the world around her and she felt it latch onto her spirit, tearing it piece by piece from her body. Unable to move she watched as her soul was syphoned. Lucy had spent years of studying and she had never come across black magic of this magnitude. An enchantment that drained life. This wasn't witchcraft, it was sorcery.

* * *

Chattering birds, a light breeze caressing her cheek, and the sound of crickets in the height of summer permeated the silence of her mind. Coming too she realised, her body felt sticky in the humid air. The weight holding her in the darkness lifted, enabling her to bring her knees up, feeling lush grass under her soles.

Toes curling for better grip, Lucy pulled herself using her core muscles, folding her arms. Taking in her surroundings, Lucy noticed the bold colours that adorned the plant life, irises the size of which she had never seen grew at the bases of towering evergreens. Standing on shaky legs, she gritted her teeth as she felt needles pricking her skin. Walking forward, the jewellery adorning her attire jingling with each step.

Expanding her aura outward she tried to get a scope of the enchantments holding her in this world. It was powerful magic, to construct an entire plane of existence. To alter those who enter its realm, changing her attire was a feat she couldn't even contemplate, the cost to caster would be extreme.

The biggest question was the reason and she didn't anticipate a good one.

Unfortunately, breaking the enchantment required the know-how and as users of dark magic didn't want their hard work being undone. Figuring out the clues wouldn't be an easy task. Lucy hoped her natural lady luck would aid the process.

Smoke rising above the forest canopy was the first spate of fortune after hours of aimless wandering.

Smoke meant a fire and a controlled fire indicated life.

Seeing someone was better than being alone. Rushing in the same direction, keeping her eye on the smoke rising up to the red hues of the sky. If the bold and vivacious colours of the world didn't tell her she was far from home, the rose ether confirmed it. Undergrowth dug into her bare feet as she ran, her chiffon and cotton rags tangling in her legs.

The forest density increased as she progressed, it shouldn't be possible for them to have a will of their own, but Lucy could have sworn that was the case. Her foot snagged on what felt like root before her body catapulted upwards, hitting her head on a branch before falling. Snare tightening painfully around her foot as it stopped her hitting the ground, leaving her swinging. Lucy cursed as she felt her ankle pop, surmising the impact must have left her with a nasty sprain or fracture.

After hanging for a moment Lucy curled her body upward to try and grab the rope. The nerves in her ankle protesting extra pressure, shooting a warning signal straight up her leg and spine. Shuddering Lucy whimpered giving in momentarily, trying desperately to focus on something else and not the sensation wracking her system.

"I wouldn't do that."

Not expecting company Lucy jumped, twisting her body to the source. Yelping as her injury throbbed with vigour.

"What are you doing?" Irritation sparked from the stupid question.

"What does it look like?" She shot back, catching sight of the stranger for the first time.

Shock filled her as she took in a tall man, wearing a tatty black cloak, a hood covering their head and a white scarf was looped around broad shoulders.

"Hmph," Snarling with a tenor deep and rumbling, Lucy had to double take. Humans didn't have that kind of vocal capability. At that realisation, she could feel her heart rate increase.

What exactly was she looking at?

"Finally, a fitting reaction. _Human_." Spitting the word out, as though it was vulgar, she could hear accusation in his tone.

"What's your problem?" She asked, annoyed at his attitude and the fact he hadn't released her. The pain not helping with having no filter between her brain and mouth. At the back of her mind, she did register that strangely she had no fear of the being standing in front of her.

"You."

"Look, can you just let me down?" Scoffing, he brought his hand up and clicked his finger. Screeching Lucy barely had time to protect her head as she unceremoniously hit the floor when the rope disappeared. Snickering had her careening her head to the right, seeing his shoulders shaking in mirth.

"You look like a weirdo."

"No thanks to you!" Outrage filled her voice, her ire seemed to encourage him as chuckling turned to laughter.

"That face is an improvement, perhaps more humans should be captured like game. Then you wouldn't be so ugly." His sneer was unmistakable and she didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking.

"I am not ugly!"

"Not on the outside." He conceded but it wasn't the victory Lucy wanted.

"You are so rude."

"To those who deserve it" His reply was flippant, the way his body stiffened said he meant it.

"How do I deserve it?" She asked, rising to her feet trying to keep weight off her injury, "I was sitting in my garden minding my own business and now I'm here, talking to a jerk."

Huffing, he turned stomping off. Lucy attributed his body language to that of a child, his knees raising unnecessarily high and large hands cupping the back of his head. She didn't want to be left behind, she had been raised in a town and consequently had no idea how to survive in the wilderness. Numerous beasts could be waiting to kill her. Resolute in her decision, Lucy sprung forward in a burst of bravery. Hearing movement he turned as she tackled him, sending them plummeting to the ground.

Hearing an exasperated sigh fingers bit into the skin of her shoulders, a little too hard, as he tried to disentangle her from his person. Warmth spread rapidly through her system as though she submerged herself into a hot spring, her body absorbing his aura without question. Investigating where he gripped her shoulders, there were tribal looking marks similar to the patterns now emerging on her skin.

Red started to bleed into blue and recognition from an unknown source filled her, feeling her own spirit rise to interlace with his. Glancing up amazement etched on her face she went to question this new turn of events. His face neither pleased or inquisitive was fixed on the ground beside them. Lucy noticed her bag had opened its contents over the earth, including the book that Levi had lent her.

Initial shock over Lucy observed the man below her, his skin glowing akin to her own, however, his marking appeared to be aggressive in their symbology, engraved into his skin with energy that promoted power. As their auras moulded, she could feel his age and power in the marrow of her bones. In her years of study and practice, never had she met a being that held such vast energy.

Amber eyes narrowed into slits, the colour morphing between shades in his heightened state of anger. Briefly, she noted the shocking shade of pink crowning his angular face, accompanied by the nose of someone who had seen plenty of hand-to-hand combat. A look that was common of the young men joining gangs in the city. Judging by the solid mass of muscle that made up the man, he was no casual street fighter.

The glint in his eyes was that of an animal assessing its prey.

"Wha-!"

For the second time, Lucy found herself being flung back. Residue energy from his attack clung felt like lead on her psyche, magic was, of course, both physical and ethereal. Healing magic soothed mentally and bodily, similarly attacking damaged both. As quickly as he flung her back, he was out of sight.

"I-I know you're still there." Air head with magic power, its potency creating intense humidity.

Silk clung to her skin as her body struggled to adapt to the heady atmosphere. Her aura shimmering around her as it reacted to the foreign presence. Bubbling noises caught her attention, to her astonishment earth and trees started to smoulder, scorching holes opened in solid rock in seconds. Hot steam rising, the climate now akin to a natural sauna as it superheated the moisture in the air making it hard to breathe. Flashbacks to her visions, the choking, of dying, made panic rear its head.

What was this place?

Everything seemed to be void of life, barren just like her dream but this time she was conscious.

Red smoke started to wisp around her legs, crawling up her skin feeling like the patter of a thousand insects marching up her body. Despite having no experience with magic mutated to this extent, it didn't take much to figure out hostile intent. When casting a spell her body floated, blissful and at peace with the surrounding energy, a hug from the powers that be. The power surrounding her now was anything but friendly, malevolence imbued into its makeup.

" _Alkhawna_." A growl that tickled her ear, rasping, filled with bitter anger. Rage accumulated over aeons, longer than she could comprehend, mutated a husky tenor into a snarl.

"I don't know what you're saying"

" _Kathaab_ ," He said, she felt his mass against her back, hand applying pressure against her throat "You expect me to believe you don't know your own tongue."

"I wasn't raised as…djinn." Swallowing, the pressure of his hand not making it an easy task. Adrenaline pounding through her system as she desperately tried to think of a solution. There was no way she could overpower him; her best hope was the fact he hadn't killed her yet.

" _Kathaab_!"

"I told you I don't know what that means." And she didn't, however, Lucy was aware of the way nature seemed to respond to the language, magic palpating and vibrating as the sound rolled off his tongue.

" _Liar_."

"I am not a liar."

"You come here as her and you expect me to believe that." The mention of this her was spat from his tongue like poisoned blood. Pain and betrayal apparent, old memories loosening his grip but still it wasn't enough for her to break free.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," She said, trying a different approach with a soft tone. Hoping to appeal to kinder emotions in the man behind her. He was quiet, seconds ticked by and Lucy noticed his magic started to simmer down into a tolerable warmth once more.

" _Azraq_."

"What?"

"You are blue blood, _Mahrid_." He stated, the guy was full of confusing statements with no explanation. "Did they send you? Is their fucked-up game now?" And they were back to the anger. As for being Mahrid, Levy did mention something about the djinn were divided by a hierarchy.

"No one has sent me, I just," Exasperation laced her tone, what did she have to do for him to get the hint, "ended up here."

"You don't 'end up here'. This dimension was made for me, imprisons me." Releasing his grip, Lucy found herself being spun around to meet stunning eyes, the colour of the evergreens that had bordered her estate at home. Transfixed by the transformation, gravity was lost on her wandering mind.

"What?"

"Fond of the word?" Lucy recognised his playful tone, her mind whispered this is how he should sound.

"Shut up."

"Enough." Rough hands cupped her cheeks, a thumb silencing her retort, "Why are you here _habibti_?" Lucy noticed the fire still flickering in his eyes, the furrow in his brow said the man didn't trust her. The white haze from her vision flashed across her consciousness. A heavy sadness and foreign familiarity settled on her chest.

Habibti.

 _Beloved_.

Lucy blinked, realising a single tear rolled down her cheek.

 _Why did he say it so sadly?_

Natsu.

-x-

 **Glossary**

 _Alkhawna_ \- Traitor

 _Kathaab_ \- Liar

 _Habibti -_ Beloved

 _Mahrid_ \- Blue Djinn

 _sihr_ \- Djinn Magic

 _Azraq_ \- Blue


End file.
